Shoulder pad



June 7, 1932. E w, TILL 1,862,442

SHOULDER PAD Filed May 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l du/z'n M47272;

June 7, 1932. E. w. TILL A SHOULDER PAD Filed May 14. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Edwin 2% 6 jQZiorwegS.

Patented June 7, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWIN W. .IILL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TO A. J. BEACH COM- PANY, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA snoULnER PAD Application filed May 14, 1931.

My present invention relates to improvements in shoulder pads or protecting harness and has as an object the provision of improved protection with increased strength and increased flexibility. and freedom of movement.

' A further object is to provide such a Sh0l1l head, without interference by the shoulder A further-object is the provision of guard means on said shoulder pad which. areindependently mounted on the pad for;maintaining the guard means in proper place and guard means which serve to cooperate to uni-- relative position throughout all movements of the player and in contacting with the players or the ground.

Another object is the provision of such formly distribute the shocks, and to cooperate in bridging over vulnerable parts of the shoulder and arms during the various positions assumed by the arms of the player.

A still further object is to provide an effective reinforcement for the cooperating guard means which is so positioned and shaped that it will effectively strengthen each guard cap without interfering with its collapsing or telescoping cooperation in overlapping relation with the other guard caps.

Another object is to provide a construction affording improved freedom for the back muscles, by the extension of the narrow shoulder strap to form narrow portions overlying the back.

With these and other objects in view the invention includes the novel construction hereinafter described, that which constitutes the present invention being defined by the claims appended hereto. 1 I

The drawings show an embodiment'of the invention in which,

Figure 1 is a front view of the improved shoulder pad, the bridging relation of the Serial No. 537,423.

plurality of independently attached overlapping cooperating guard caps when the arm is raised to a substantially horizontal position, being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the improved shoulif der pad.

Fig. 3 'is a top plan view of one side thereof.

Fig. 4 is a central transverse section of the portion shown in Fig. 3, the collapsed or telescoped position of the plurality of overlapping cooperating guard caps when the arm is raised to a substantially vertical position, being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 5 is a view of the under side of one of the guard caps showing the reinforcement of the present invention.

In Figs. 1 and 3 portions of the straps 3 are shown broken away to reveal the shoulder straps 1a.

In the drawings 1, 1 represents the front portions or strips of the shoulder harness designed to partially cover the breast of the player and with their juxtaposed edges connected as by lacing in the customary manner, the portions 1, 1 having narrowed extensions 1a passing to the top of the shoulder adjacent the neck where they are connected by stitches to narrowed strips or protectors 16 for the back of the wearer. The strips 16 for the back are made narrow and tapered to reduce weight and to provide greater freedom for the arm movements and for the back muscles adjacent the arms. The narrow back portions 1?) are laced together in the customary manner and together cover the central portion of the back of the wearer in the region of the spine while leaving substantial free spaces at either side. These connected strips or protectors for the breast and back of the player are preferably of leather and are lined with suitable padding material such as felt indicated at 2.

It will be understood that the entire body of the pad comprising the breast covering portions 1, the narrow shoulder straps 1a, and the narrow tapered back protectors 16 may be made of one single piece of leather instead of being in two connected parts as described.

Secured as by stitching to the narrow shoulder strap 1a directly over the shoulder and at the top of the inside edge of said strap 1a as shown at 5, is a freely flexible web or strap hinge 3 for the upper or inner guard cap l, the free edge of the strap hinge 3 being secured to the edge of the guard cap by stitching as shown at 6.

Secured at 7 to the top of the outside edge of the narrow shoulder strap la and directly over the shoulder in alignment with the hinge strap 3 is a freely flexible web or hinge strap 3a for an intermediate guard or protector cap la, the free edge of the strap hinge 311 being secured to the inner edgeof the guard cap 4a at 8.

The freely flexible hinge strap of the outer cap 4;?) is secured beneath the inner edge thereof between the cap and its felt lining 2b as shown at 9 and the inner end of the hinge strap 3?) is secured at 10 to the bottom side of the outside edge of the narrow shoulder strap 1a, between the strap 1a and its lining 2. Preferably the hinge strap 3?) of the outer cap 4b is also stitched at an intermediate point 11 to the extension 2a of the lining 2. This desirably advances the hinge point of the outermost guard cap 46 outwardly beyond the hinge point of the next succeeding cap is, so that the hinge points will be spaced in the collapsed position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l and so that the hinge strap for the outermost cap 4?) will not be so long as to permit of lateral displacement from proper alignment on top of the shoulder.

The rotector caps 4, 4a, 4b, are of firm or rigi material such as very stiff leather.

The outer cap 46 is provided with a felt lining pad 26 but the other caps are not provided with such lining and their free leather edges are adapted to slide freely on the back of the next outer cap of the plurality of cooperating overlapping caps into collapsed or telescoped condition as the arm is raised.

Each stiff leather cap is reinforced according to the present invention by a three-point rigid fibre reinforcement member 13 curved to fit the concavity of the cap and lying wholly within the edges of the cap, to not interfere with the sliding contact of the edges of the cap on the back of the next cap. The reinforcement 13 is of rigid stiffening fibrous material, having the radiating points to minimize weight while providing strength at necessary points. The radiating points 13a, 13?), 130 of the bridging reinforcement for the cap are secured to the cap as by riveting. This is shown in Fig. 5.

The present invention, by the provision of the plurality of caps intermediate the outer cap and the narrow shoulder strap and independently connected to the shoulder strap, enables the provision of small caps with their correspondingly short independent hinge strap connections to the narrow shoulder strap, maintaining them in proper relative cooperating overlapping position upon the shoulder during all movements and contacts in play, and providing greater free dom of movement due to the plurality of small or narrow caps enabling ajersey to be more readily pulled over the pad. All pads are worn under jerseys. A more perfect bridging effect is provided by the plurality of caps between the outer ca and the narrow shoulder strap as shown in Fig. 1 in dotted lines, by reason of the multiple supporting points and the bridging over the bones to provide great strength in the shoulder pad and consequent greater protection to the wearer without increase in weight and with improved flexibility.

The present invention provides the advantages of the multiple supporting points afforded by the plurality of small cooperating guard caps between the outer guard cap and the narrow shoulder strap, with the advan tages of independent relatively short freely flexible hinge mounting of each cap for maintenance of alignment and proper positioning over the shoulder during all conditions in play.

The shortness of the independent hinge straps which independently maintain alignment and proper position of each cap on the shoulder, is a consequence of the smallness of each of the three or more caps, which are mounted independently to the narrow shoulder strap according to the present invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a shoulder guard, of a'narrow shoulder strap portion shaped to fit on top of the shoulder at the junction with the. neck, an outer guard cap and a. plurality of guard caps between said outer cap and the narrow shoulder strap portion, all of said caps being arranged in overlap ping cooperating relation, and separate freely flexible hinge straps for said caps, each of said hinge straps connecting one of said caps to said narrow shoulder strap portion independently of the other caps and connecting hinge straps.

2. The combination with a shoulder guard, of a narrow shoulder strap portion shaped to fit on top of the shoulder at the junction with the neck, an outer guard cap and a plurality of guard caps between said outer cap and the narrow shoulder strap portion, all of said caps being arranged in overlapping c0oper ating relation, and separate freely flexible hinge straps for said caps, each of said hinge straps connecting one of said caps to said narrow shoulder strap portion independently of the other caps and connecting hinge straps, the connecting hinge strap for said outer guard cap being secured to the under side of the outer edge of said narrow shoulder strap, the connecting hinge strap for an intermediate cap being secured to the upper side of the outer edge of said norrow shoulder strap, and the connecting hinge strap for the inner guard cap being secured to the upper side of said narrow shoulder strap adjacent the inner edge thereof.

3. A shoulder pad according to claim 1 in which is provided a lining for said narrow shoulder strap, said lining being extended outwardly beyond said shoulder strap, and said connecting hinge strap for said outer guard cap being secured to said lining extension at a point on the strap intermediate its connection to the cap and its connection to the shoulder strap.

4.. A shoulder pad according to claim 1 in which each of said guard caps is concavoconvex and is provided with a stiff fibre reinforcing member secured thereto and conforming to the concavity and having a plurality of radiating projections extending from the body of the reinforcing member near the center of the concave cap toward the edges of the cap.

5. A shoulder pad according to claim 1 in which said narrow shoulder strap portion is intermediate a breast protecting portion and a narrow back portion and is substantially more narrow than either the breastor back protecting portion, said narrow back portion being wider at the top adjacent the narrow shoulder strap and tapering to a narrow end point to provide the necessary back member for the shoulder pad while providing space at the sides for free movement of the back muscles.

6. The combination with a shoulder guard, of a narrow shoulder strap portion shaped to fit on top of the shoulder at the junction with the neck, an outer guard cap and a plurality of guard caps between said outer cap and the narrow shoulder strap portion, all of said caps being arranged in overlapping cooperating relation, separate freely flexible hinge straps for said caps, each of said hinge straps connecting one of said caps to said narrow shoulder strap portion independently of the other caps and connecting hinge straps, each of said guard caps being concavo-convex, and a stiff fibre reinforcing member secured to each guard cap and conforming to the concavity thereof, each reinforcing member including a body having lateral projections extending to front and back of the shoulder and a projection extending outwardly in the direction of the shoulder and of the connecting hinge strap, and each reinforcing member being secured to each cap adjacent the ends of the projections to provide a bridging reinforcement.

7. A protecting cap for a shoulder harness comprising a stiff sheet of material of concavo-convex form and shaped to curve lengthwise over the shoulder and extending widthwise in the direction of the shoulder and a stiff fibre reinforcing member secured thereto and conforming to the concavity and having 

